Wheel washing apparatus



Feb. 11, 1958 H. A. cRlvELLl WHEEL WASHING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 16, 1956 Feb- 11, 1958 H. A. cRlvELLl WHEEL WASHING APPARATUS Filed Fb. 16, 195e 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Unit States Patent WHEEL WASHING APPARATUS Henry A. Crivelli, Belmont, Mass.

Application February 16, 1956, Serial No. 565,805

13 Claims. (Cl. 15-302) The present invention relates to washing apparatus and, more particularly, to automatic apparatus for effectively washing the wheels of an advancing column of automobiles or other motor vehicles that are being subjected to a sequence of washing operations in assembly-line fashion.

The object of the present invention is to provide automatic wheel-washing apparatus which effectively cleans the tires, hubs, etc. of wheels that, in the past, would have been too scuffed and soiled to be cleaned otherwise than under direct manual control. The automatic wheelwashing apparatus of the present invention comprises a bank of advantageously arranged and actuated rotatable brushes and cleaning-fluid ejection nozzles interspersed on an elongated base that is resiliently biased in parallelism toward the side of an advancing vehicle in order to clean successive adjacent regions of a given wheel rotating normally as the vehicle advances.

Other objects of the present invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the apparatus posessing the construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which are exemplified in the following detailed disclosure, and the scope of which will be in dicated in the appended claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure l is a top plan view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, showing the organization of the interspersed brushes and nozzles;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the embodiment of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the embodiment of Fig. 1, with parts broken away and omitted;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section, taken substantially along the line 4--4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a broken away detail view of the steam release mechanism associated with one of the nozzles; and v Fig. 6 is a detail side view of the steam release mechanism of Fig. 5.

The apparatus shown in the accompanying drawings as illustrative of the present invention generally comprises a plurality of rotatable brushes 20 and steam nozzles 22 interspersed in a row along a frame 24 which is cantilevered on a pair of parallel swivel arms 26 and which is biased for perpendicular movement with respect to its direction of elongation toward one side of a vehicle advancing from right to left as viewed in Fig. 1. This apparatus ordinarily is employed in association with its mirror replica which is biased toward the opposite side ofthe vehicle.

Frame 24 is constructed frornsections of right angle stock which are mitered attheir ends and welded together to form a parallelepided having four long side lengths 28, four short end lengths 30 and four short end lengths 32. Oppositely directed from upper and lower horizontal end lengths 30 and 32 are pairs of upper and lower extensions. 34 and 36, respectively, which journalthe forward ends of swivel arms 26. The rearward end of each arm 26 is journaled between a pair of blocks 38secured to a stationary post 40. The foot of post 40 is affixed to a plate 42 which extends forwardly a considerable distance to prevent the weight of the frame from tilting the entire apparatus.

Brushes 20, which are suicient in number and diameter to scrub the successive sectors of any standard automobile wheel completing one revolution, are keyed to shafts 44, which are journalled at the forward side lengths 28 by straps 46. At the upper ends of shafts 44 are drive sprockets 48 which mesh with a chain 50 internally of its loop. Chain 50 is driven by a motor 52 through an elbow transmission 54 and a drive sprocket 56 which meshes with the chain internally of its loop. The chain is maintained in taut condition by sprockets 58 which mesh with it externally of its loop. Motor 52 and transmission 54 are carried on a platform 60 secured to and movable with frame 24.

Nozzles 22, which have vertical discharge slits 62, are supplied with a detergent-and-steam mixture through a main line 64 which is fed, as seen in Fig. 1,'at its left end, that is, at its end that is farthest from the end of frame 24 that first contacts the wheel to be washed. Main line 64 feeds into successive pairs of nozzles through successive valves 66. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, each valve is opened when a. plunger 68 is urged against spring bias into theV valve housing by a pivoted lever 70 having at its free end a roller 72. Valve 66 is gradually opened when actuated by a reciprocable rod 74 acting on roller 72 through a cam 76. Valve 66 is deactuated when roller 72 is released by cam 76.

A plurality of arms 78, one of which is shown in Fig. 5, serve (l) to limit forward movement of frame 24 toward a wheel being cleaned in order that scrubbing be effected only by the outer portions of brushes 20,'and (2) to actuate the particular valves which control the discharge from the pairs of nozzles 22 closest to this wheel in order to minimize the necessary pressure in main line 64. Arm 78 is pivoted at one end by means of a link 80 to the upper forward sidelength 2S of frame 24 in order to lie along the oor in position to contact the tire of the wheel. Arm 78 is medially pivoted to the forward end of rod 74. Arm 78 is biased forwardly by a spring 82 coiled about rod 74 in compression between upper rearward side length 28 and a collar 84. The forward end of rod 74, which is threaded at 86, meshes with an adjusting nut 88 that limitsthe rearward movement of arm 78.

An oblique arm 90 is aflixed to upper extension 36 to move frame 24 rearwardly an appropriate distance when Arm 90 and, also, arms 78 are provided at their forward edges with elongated rollers 92 which adapt them to smoothly engage and disengage rotating portions of the wheel. A coil spring 93 connected between the center of frame 24 and one of posts 40 bias the frame outwardly.

A pair of nozzles 94 and 96 which have horizontal dissharse slits 9,8, are .disnosedat the., center and, at, the wheel-disengaging end of the frame in order to clean the hub of the wheel which ordinarily requires no scrubbing. A nozzle i) at the wheel disengaging end of frame 24 provides a ilow of hot water for rinsing the entire wheel at the end of the cleaning operation.

In operation, an automobile, for example, advances from right to left, as viewedH in Fig. 1, along the iloor upon which plate 42 rests sothat one of its right wheels engages: roller 92` ofarm 90. As Aarri-result,frame-'241s urged rearwardly, against theibias of spring-93;` u ntiLthe wheel contacts the 4iirst of levers;78. Gradually, this lever is pivoted rearwardly andssteam is ejectedl from; the-first pair of nozzles, which are fedthrough thevalvewhich this lever controls. The Wheel, particularly its tire, is subjected to this steam as well as to the scrubbing4 action of the brushes. As the/wheelcontinues to adyanoe, gradu ally` the `second of levers 78 is moved rearwardly4v and steam is ejected from the secondpair'of nozzlesll which are fedthrough the valve which this lever:l controls.l As the owof steam from the second pairof nozzlesfincreases, the flow of steam from the first pair of nozzles gradually decreases because of the reduced pressurerof thefsteam available to the iirst valve, which is still` open. Astthe, wheel continues to advance, it disengages the irst lever fand the liow of steam through the first valve is terminated.. This process is continued until theY entire wheel is cleaned. Nozzles 22 and brushes 20 act primarily on the periphery of thewheel, i. e., the tire. Nozzles 94k and .96.a,ct primarily on the center of the wheel, i. e. the` hub. Nozzle- 10B-russes the wheel with hot: water before itdengages frame 24. As one of the right wheels of the automobile is cleaned by the illustrated apparatus, the alignedleft wheel of the automobile is cleaned by a similar, apparatus. The length of frame 24 is such that the apparatus,disen-l gages theforwardwheel of an automobiley beforefitengages the rearward wheel, and disengages thegrearward wheel, before it engages the forward vwheel oftheg-next automobile even if it follows bumper-to-bumper.

Since certain changesmay be made in the above ap@ paratus without departing from. the scope of theinvention herein involved, it is intended that all matter contained, inthe above description andv shown in the accompanying..

drawings 'shall beinterpretedin anillustrative and notrin.V

base, said brushes `beingsuiicient in number and-.Sukicntr ly close to eachjother to scrub successive sections thfrpughfout the peripheryv ofa tire rolling in contact therew itl-l".4 along said door, said basseA being biased toward. said tire,`

2. Cleaning apparatus comprising an elongated'f base mounted for movementY parallell to itself` in afdirectiongenerally. perpendicular to its direction' ofvellongatiorlga;l

plurality of interspersed,` rotatable brushes andsteamfl nozzles distributed. along. 'said base with` portionsof' said brushes and with mouthseof said; nozzles beingdisposedlA along an elongated edg'frgsaid'basen-saidi brushesfbeingJ actuated by a common drive, al plurality. of-:valves forre spectively feeding-,a; pluralityyof; said` steamnozzles', a

plurality of arms mountedforrmovementronlsaidbase for respectively controlling; saidgvalvessaid:armszbeing movable independently ofi-Que another-,psaidwbrushes 'being suliciently close-tojegch otherfto. scruboverlapping sec.- tions of a wheelj rollinrr `n cantaor; therewith, saidbase being .biased towardsaidwheel; Vand means for Contact ing said wheelv inorder to; limit movementof saidbase tcwiardsaid: wheel-1 z l 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said base is cantilevered at the free ends of a pair of parallel swivel arms.

4. Cleaning apparatus comprising an elongated base mounted for movement parallel to itself in a direction having a component perpendicular to its direction of elongation, a plurality of interspersed rotatable brushes and steam nozzles distributed along said base with portions of said brushes and with mouths of said nozzles being disposed along an edge of said base, said brushes being sufficiently close to each other to scrub overlapping sections of a wheel rolling in contact therewith, said base being biased toward said wheel, and a plurality of arms pivoted to said base for controlling the discharge of steam from said nozzles, said arms being pivoted on said base adjacent to the nozzles they control, said arms projecting from said base obliquelyawayfrom that` end of said base tirst to be contactedbysaid wheel.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the Yedges of said arms farthestir'omsaidbase are provided with rotatable rollers that are elongated in the direction of elongation of said arms.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said base is cantilevered at the free ends of a pair of parallel swivel arms.

7. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein pivotal movement ofi said.leverstowardnsaid base is limitedA by adjustable SQPS. ..1

8. The.: apparatus: .oxclaimj 4: wherein/.a Vmain line having a steainsinletnt.y therend' of. saidbase terminally contacting said-.zwheelifeeds .said nozzles.

9..Cleaningapparatuscomprising an elongated base mounted 1 for; movement.y parallel to. itselfv in. a: direction substantially;'perpendicular toitsdirection or; elongation, a `plurality; off interspersed .rotatable brushes and. steam nozzles. distributed alongsaid.: hasewith portions of. the peripheries; ofy said` brushes, and. with mouths of; said nozzles; being. disposed along an edgeof; said base, saidv brushes being sufficientlyz elose.,to, each. other to scrub: overlapping; sections-,oiga wheel rolling in, contact there,-A with, said base being'hiased. towardA said wheel,1and. a, plurality ofl arms; pivotedg tosaidpbase; forI controlling the.4

discharge of steam from said. nozzles, said atims.being-.

pivoted on said baseadjacent,tothenozzles they control, said arms projectingfrorn said, base obliquely awaylfromV that end of said. base, initiallyscontacted by 'saidgwheeh the edges of said'arrnsfarthestrfrom saidy basek being prof vided with rotatable-rollers that are elongated inthe direetion of elongation ofslaidjanns, and a main linefeedingV said nozzles, said main line having a steam inletrv artheend of said base` that terminally `Contact saidwheel.

l0. The apparatusof claim 9 whereint said base cantilevered atV the free'endsof a pair of parallelswivel arms.

ll. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein pivotalmove- Y ment of said levers toward -said b ase islimited by adjustable stops. l

l2. Cleaning apparatus comprisingvan velongated base contiguous with affloor, saidfbasebeing movable-parallel to itself in Adirections having components perpendicular tothe direction offelongatiorrof said base, a plurality of interspersed rotatable brushes and luid nozzles distributed along saiclbase audprojecting therefrom generally in one ofsaid directiongsaid `brushes beingfactuatedby a common. drive, a plurality of valves for respectively feeding a plurality of said fluid nozzles, a plurality of arms mountedv contiguouswith agenerallyiatand smooth rfloor area, a..

pair-of-parailel swivel arms, rearwardends of' said' swivel arms being pivoted about axes perpendicular to said oor area, forward ends of said swivel arms being pivoted to ends of said base, a plurality of interspersed rotatable brushes and fluid nozzles distributed along said base and projecting therefrom generally forwardly, said brushes being actuated by a common drive, a plurality of valves for respectively feeding a plurality of said uid nozzles, a plurality of control arms mounted for movement on said base for respectively controlling said valves, said control arms being movable independently of one another and projecting generally forwardly from Isaid base over a section of said iloor area, and means for biasing said base generally forwardly, said brushes and said control arms serving to contact a wheel rolling continuously on said section of said door area.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Yingling May 20, 1941 Johnson et al May 2, 1944 Davis Sept. 6, 1955 Cockrell Sept. 6, 1955 Berezny Ian. 31, 1956 

